Obama Birtherism
Origins of the Claim
The claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and was therefore constitutionally ineligible for the presidency first circulated during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. Initial versions appeared on partisan blogs and in chain emails, and the claim was amplified by a small number of political operatives and commentators. The theory held that Obama had been born in Kenya — his father's country of origin — and that his Hawaiian birth certificate was either fabricated or that his Hawaiian birth had been falsely registered to obtain citizenship.
The "birther" movement, as it came to be known, remained on the political fringe through most of Obama's first term but was dramatically amplified beginning in 2011 when Donald Trump began publicly promoting the claim and demanding that Obama release his full birth documentation.